Screw the NYC MSF course!!!

[Sev]

In Ontario, the course fee where I taught was $350CDN - hardly a horror story.

I saw a post (either here or elsewhere) about someone that had to pay te equivalent of $450 US.

I don't think that was here, Alberta is $400...

[GiddyBOI]

I live in Quebec, Canada...and nvm the fact that for the average rider...the season lasts maybe a good...3-4 months.....the average rate at a Motorcycle Riding school recognized by the SAAQ (DMV in quebec)
....which by the way is mandatory is 515$....
Dont get me started on what else u hafta do here to get a bike....
TIME ANNDD MONEEY!
(takes at least 8 months)

[Scott58]

Boy, what a racket it's turned into.

[Gadjet]

and to think, I paid $20 to get my provisional permit which allowed me to ride a bike as long as an adult (over 18) licensed rider was with me (on their own bike or in a car) in order to learn how to ride, then, after about a month of practice and commuting to and from work, I went and paid my $50 fee to take my road test.

There are ways to get your license without taking the training course.

I did have the benefit of having my father, a licensed rider for over 30 years and a former road racer as my own personal instructor. Unless you have the same access to a qualified rider like I did, I would still recommend that you take the training course.

I had intended to take the course, as it would have also given me a break on my insurance, but after doing the calculating, the amount I saved on insurance would have paid for the course after 10 years. Not worth it in my book.

I took the money and got some good riding gear instead - armored jacket and well padded gloves ( I already had the helmet, and rode in jeans till I could get some heavy leather chaps)

I say suck it up and pay the fee, especially for someplace like NYC. I've seen video of the traffic there. Anything to help you stay safer in that ant warren is a good thing in my book.

[Mustang]

Not sound too melodramatic here, but the course could save your life sometime down the road.

Ante up the fee and look at it as an investment.

Are there any dealerships offering the course? I took mine through a Harley place and they discounted the course fee off any new bike you bought in the 30 days follwing the completion. BTW paid $275 and was more than happy to.

Regardless, would driving to another state add up in gas and food?

[CajunBass]

How much would you actually save if you travel somewhere else, paying for gas, and food, and even assuming you were able to sleep in your car. How rested would you be after doing that?

When I took one here in Virginia, I drove 100+ miles one way. I was exhausted before I got started. The only reason I didn't flunk it was that I knew I would and didn't even go the second day.

[Vit0r]

Well, getting the bike Friday. I'll practice over the weekend and if I feel that I can't handle the bike without some professional instruction they'll I'll prop down the bread. If the whole thing is cake then I'll just opt to learn on my own.

[Sev]

No offense, but you're sounding more and more like an accident about to happen.

[Vit0r]

No offense, but you're sounding more and more like an accident about to happen.

None taken. I feel that there is a general aura on this forum to conform. If you even suggest anything other than a "beginner bike" to a complete noob then you can expect to be looked down upon. Then you have the entire MSF thing, I bet a good 50% or more of the people on here didn't even take the MSF course and just stay quiet while everyone else bombards new members to take it, take it, take it. Everything just feels so textbook.

So I'm going to get that 750cc supersport, ride it around without any professional training, unregistered, unlicensed and show you guys that it can be done. Hi newbies! I'm what you're not supposed to be!

[Sev]

I work at the county courthouse. There's a security guard I've recently become aquainted with who I noted rode a motorcycle. After talking to him for a while I found out it was a brand new 20th anniversary GSX-R 750.

Fast forward to today. I walk outside and see him sitting around holding his arm. After asking what happened he says he was in an accident a few days ago.

Here's how it went:

Said security guard pulls up to a stoplight (which is green) and sees a car stopped in front of him. He decided to ride around said car and once he gets partway into the intersection he realizes the car was stopped for a reason. A firetruck is flying towards him. So like most of us would do he decides it might be a good idea to get out of the way. He guns the throttle and (amazingly enough) is suprised by the acceleration of the gixxer. So suprised infact that after staying on for about 1 second he goes flying off and skids about 30 feet to a stop...

Unfortunately for Mr. security guard this is the one day he picked not to wear his leather riding jacket or pants because it was a short ride to work. Mr. security guard is only wearing a tee-shirt and dress pants. The pants are ripped to pieces, and his arm is one giant wound. His arm is now one big scab and his legs aren't much better. He doesn't have riding gloves so his hands are pretty cut up as well.

Hearing this I couldn't help but ask if this was his first bike. To my amazing suprise (yeah right) it was. He'd always liked the GSX-R's and bought one to learn on. Now he has a totaled bike, and alot of pain. He decided to learn without any training and...well, you can see what happened.

The morals of the story:
-Sportbikes really ARE just that powerful, start small (which I told him he might want to consider...)
-Super-protective riding gear only works when it is worn.
-Take a MSF course if at all possible, it can save your life (or at least your skin)